Loose Ends premiered as part of Free Comic Book Day and is billed as a “southern crime romance” and it definately lives up to the billing.

The story opens with a man, Sonny, accepting a job except he has some things he has to take care of, the loose ends of the story. By the end of the issue we know what the loose ends are and what he is doing to wrap them up. Except things don’t go as planned. A couple of drunken locals cause some problems for Sonny and one of the waitresses.

The story invokes a mood. You can almost feel the heat coming off the page. Between what happens at the bar and Sonny’s friend, who set him up on the job, it looks like it’s going to be a wild ride.

Latour’s script is nice. The story never bogs down, always moving. He captures the mood of a run down local bar perfectly. Filled with sad people who never were able to escape the town. The story feels like a movie on the page. It’s dirty and grungy but at the same time it’s clear with a nice sense of plot and timing. The characters have depth, even though there isn’t much shown. The story has alot but with little given. It’s a credit to Latour that so few words can produce the desired reactions.

Brunner’s art reminds me a little of Brian Stelfreze, but not as tight. There’s also some Greg Tocchini in there as well. The lines are loose but tight when need be. The art helps create the mood and atmosphere and nails it. Even the odd ball things like the symbols floating above Sonny’s head, indicating his drunkeness, don’t feel out of place. All of it comes together to produce a nice looking story.

Loose End’s #1 receives 5 out of 5

An almost perfect melding of art and story to create the desired mood and atmosphere.